Electric switch



Jan.

4, 1938. H. GOUDET ET Al.

ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Feb. 10, 1956 INVENTOR. HUGU GOUDET AND ROGERSENAEME ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC SWITCHApplication February 10, 1936, Serial No. 63,049 In France February 25,1935 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and novel electric switch with doubleacting drive.

In certain electrical applications it is useful to be able toalternately establish different connections, such as connecting anddisconnecting certain interchangeable elements, without the use ofsliding contacts.

It is known that especially in circuits for wireless telegraphy, theimperfections of sliding contacts frequently give rise to a phenomenonof crackling. The use of sliding contacts likewise interferes in case ofcircuits for very short waves, and which may entail the derangement ofcircuits which sometimes had been adjusted with the greatest precision.

The present invention concerns a switch without sliding contacts, whoseoperating device comprises an intermediate organ meshing along a spiraland susceptible of sliding or of turning in its axis.

The switching thus takes place in three periods of time: firstly,displacing the movable members perpendicularly to the surface of fixedcontacts; secondly, rotating the intermediate organ thereby bringing newmovable members to the fixed contacts; thirdly, bringing new movablemembers perpendicularly towards the surface of the fixed contacts.

The invention will be better understood with reference to theaccompanying figures presenting by way of example a special mode ofexecution to which the invention is, however, not limited.

The apparatus shown and to which the invention is applied, represents aswitch with self inductances intended for use in wireless transmittersoperating with ultra-short waves.

Figure 1 is an elevation in schematical representation provided withreference characters permitting a ready understanding of the followingdescription.

Figure 2 is a drawing showing a detail of the apparatus in side view.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the entire apparatus.

A shaft I adapted to rotate and slide in bearings 2 and 3 haskeyedthereon a stop cam 4, a spiral pinion 5, a plate 6 carrying selfinductances for instance, which end into members 8, the latter coming torest on corresponding insulated contacts 9 against which they are placedby means of spring l0.

With the cam 4, provided for instance with four arresting cut outs,there engages a roller ll, supported from levers I 2 and controlled bythe spring iii. The axis 14 of the levers is disposed in such manner asto make possible the rotation of cam 4 in a single direction only, asshown for instance by the arrow l5.

With pinion 5 there meshes a pinion l6 driven with a flywheel IT. Apointer [8 can locate the positions of the cam on a dial IS.

The functioning of this apparatus is as follows:

Starting from the position shown in Fig. 1, the long roller H is engagedin a cut out of the narrow cam 4 for which the pointer l8 marks theposition A on the dial IS. The spring I0 places the members 8 againstthe contacts 9, and the flywheel H is now turned in the direction ofarrow 20.

The pinion It moves the pinion 5 in the lateral direction along arrow2|, without causing it to rotate, since the shaft is adapted to slideand since the long roller ll engaged in the out out of the narrow cam 4,prevents the shaft from turning, yet permitting the narrow cam to slidealong its axis.

The pinion 5 thus functions as a driven rack until its face 22 abutsagainst the face 23 of the bearing 2.

This lateral movement has produced removal of the members 8 fromcontacts 9 without friction.

If at this moment the flywheel I1 is acted upon with increased force andin the same direction, the pinion no longer capable of lateraldisplacement will be forced to rotate and on the one hand drives the cam4 in the direction of arrow l5 (Figure 2); the long roller will beraised, and is placed in readiness to engage the following cut out. Onthe other hand, the plate 6 carries another self inductance in front ofthe contacts 9.

As soon as the cut out that followed, reaches the roller H the flywheelI! will be abandoned whereby the spring Ill begins to act therebypushing back the entire system in the direction opposite to that of thearrow 2].

The pinion 5 keyed on, so to say, by the roller II new functions asdriving rack, thereby moving pinion IS. The index finger I 8 niovesbackwards in order to stop at this time in the position B through whichit had to pass in order to carry out the initial lateral movement.

This return movement is terminated by the members 8 resting against thecontacts 9 whereby the quality of the obtained electrical contacts willbe improved.

It must be understood that the mode of execution of the invention justdescribed, has been given by way of example only and that numerousvariations thereof could be conceived without departing from the scopeof the invention.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with a contact system which is broken by removing atleast one of its elements from the contacting plane, means forcontrolling the breaking comprising a shaft supporting a mobile elementof the contacting system and mounted for sliding axially, a second shaftorthogonal to the said first shaft and provided with controlling means,coupling means comprising spiral pinions between both shafts, means forpreventing the first shaft from rotating whilst allowing the slidingwhen a force is applied to the second shaft, means for removing the saidpreventing means when the force applied increases above a predeterminedvalue, and yielding means opposed to the sliding in the sense determinedby the said force.

2. System as claimed in claim 1 wherein means for preventing therotation of the first shaft comprise a cam provided with cut-outs andfixed on the said shaft, locking means engaging in the cut outs inpredetermined positions of the cam, and yielding means opposed toremoving of the locking under the action 01 a force tending to turningthe shaft.

HUGO GOUDE'I. ROGER snNAEME.

